Turbine with funnel drive vanes



April 11, 1961 s. KWIATEK TURBINE WITH FUNNEL DRIVE VANES 3 Sheet-Sheet1 Filed May 31, 1957 Slan/s/ow Km'afe/r INVENTOR. 406?.

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April 11, 1961 s.1 w|A'rEK 2,979,305

TURBINE WITH FUNNEL DRIVE VANES Filed May 31, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 V "3V IN VEN TOR.

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TURBINE WITH FUNNEL DRIVE VANES Filed May 51, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 3Slams/aw Kw/a/e/r INVENTOR.

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United States Patent 2,919,305 TURBINE WITH FUNNEL DRIVE VANES StanislawKwiatek, 13812 Linn Ave, Cleveland 25, Ohio Filed May 31, 1951, Ser. No.662,918

2 Claims. (Cl. 253 -48) The present invention generally relates to aturbine construction and more particularly to a turbine including arotary compressor for supplying compressed air together with fuel meansfor providing a combustible mixture to a combustion chamber with thecombustion chamber discharging onto the vanes or buckets on a rotatabledisk with the disk being secured to a power shaft for causing the powershaft to rotate due to movement of the gases towards a discharge openingand the drag of the gases on the blade or pocket on the turbine disk.

An object of the present invention is to provide a turbine constructionin accordance with the preceding in which the pockets are generallyfrusto-conical in shape thus generally defining funnel-shaped pocketsfor receiving the expanding products of combustion from the combustionchamber and converting these products into useful work by rotating apower shaft.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide amulti-stage turbine in which the first stage is employed for driving anair compressor with the second and third stages being the power stagesof the turbine.

Yet another important feature of the present invention is its simplicityof construction, ease of operation, efliciency, ease of assembly anddisassembly and its relatively inexpensive manufacturing cost.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as morefully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the turbine of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal, vertical sectional view taken substantiallyupon a plane passing along section line 2-2 of Figure 1 showing theinternal structural details of the turbine;

Figure 3 is a transverse, vertical sectionalview taken substantiallyalong the line of separation of, the casing at the first stage of theturbine;

Figure 4 is a schematic view showing the path of the combustion productsthrough the several stages of the turbineyand a Figure 5 is a detailedsectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along sectionline 5-5 of Figure 2illustrating the orientation of the shafts for thefirst stage of the turbine and the second and third stage ofthe turbine.l

1 Referring now specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 generallydesignates the turbine of the present invention which includes anelongated generally cylindrical housing .12divided intoa plurality ofcylindrical'sections designated by numerals 14, 16, 18 and 22. These sections are all interconnected by virtue of peripheral flanges 24 at theadjacent ends thereof with fastening bolts 26 extending therethrough forsecuring the sections in position- Each of,the sections 14, 16, 18 and22 is provided with a centrally disposed cylindrical bore 28. Secured2,979,305 Patented Apr. 11, 1961 to the section 14 is a throat or inletsection 30 having an open end 32 forming an air intake for a rotatingcom pressor impeller 34 mounted within the section 30 and rotatable witha power shaft 36 for discharging air tangentially into a dischargeconduit 38 whichin turn discharges into a combustion chamber generallydesignated by numeral 40 with a fuel supply'line 42 being connected withthe conduit 38 immediately at the inlet of the combustion chamber 40which is in the form of curved cylindrical member 44 having acylindrical bafile 46 mounted therein in spaced relation thereto withthe baflle 46 having openings 48 therein. The open ends of the curvedand generally cylindrical baffle correspond with the open ends of thecombustion chamber and the fuel line 42 extends inwardly into theinterior of the baffle 46 and is supported by a bracket 50 therein withthe discharge nozzle 52 being disposed in the bafile or burning areadefined by baffle 46 so that a flame'may be produced therein fordischarging from the combustion chamber 40. V 1

The section 30 is secured to the section 14 by virtue of a peripheralflange 54 and fastening bolts 56. Also, the discharge conduit 38 isprovided with a flange 58 for engagement with a flange 60 on the section30 with fastening bolts 62 extendingtherethrough fordetachablyconnecting the conduit 38, with the section 30 thus mountingthe combustion chamber 40 in the desired area.

Each of the sections 14, 16, 18 and 22 is hollow and provided withsealed water compartments 64 each of which is provided with a waterinlet line 66 and a water outlet line 68 for connection with a suitablesource of cooling water. The facing surfaces of the sections. are eachprovided with an annular recess 70 which generally defines a cylindricaloutline when the facing recesses are brought into adjacent relation aswhen the device is assembled. The annular facing recesses 70 coact toform an annular passage for permitting rotation of a turbine disk 72having a plurality of buckets 74 mounted on the periphery thereof incircumferentially spaced relation with each of the buckets beingsubstantially frustoconicalin shape and being open at each end thereofwith the large end facing away from the direction of rotation and thesmall end facing the direction of rotation wherein the buckets orpockets 74 generally arefunnel-shaped. As clearly seen in Figure 3,there are three stages to the turbine of the present invention and eachof the stages is substantially identical as to the disk 72 and thebuckets 74 and their relationship to the annular passage formed by therecesses or grooves-70. The combustion chamber 44 is provided with aflange 76 for attachment to the juncture between the sections 14 and 16by fastening bolts 78 thereby retaining the combustion chambers 44telescoped into an inlet opening 80 in the junctional area between thesections 14 and 16 for supplying hot combustion products into thepassage 70 and into en gagement with the large end of the buckets 74.whereby the expanding gases will go through the bucket 74 with thevelocity force or break awayf force causing the gases to drag the bucket74 with them for overcoming any reaction force and thus causing the disk72 to rotate;

After the combustion gases have passed for approximately they aredischarged through a discharge opening'82 in the junctural area betweenthe sections 14 and 16 with an exhaust pipe 84 being connected theretoby fastening bolts 86. The exhaust pipe 84 is generally -U-shaped asshown in Figure l and forms an inletfor thesecond' stage of the turbinewherein the hot and expanding combustion gases will be utilized fordriving the second stage of the turbine and the gases will then bedischarged into the third stage of the turbine for utilization of anyremaining energy therein. Each stage of the turbine operates insubstantially the same manner in that amazes the combustion productsimpinging upon and passing through the funnel-shaped buckets will causedrag to cause rotation of the disk. The combustion bases are in thefirst stage of the turbine for substantially 140, are in the secondstage of the turbine for approximately 145 and in the third stage of theturbine for approximately 160 of rotation.

The disk 72 of the first turbine stage is provided with a hollow shaft88 received in the longitudinal bore 28. The hollow shaft 88 is providedwith a reduced portion 90 integral with and forming a continuation ofthe mounting shaft 36 for the compressor impeller 34. The reducedportion 90 of the shaft 88 is journaled in ball bearings 92 and providedwith an oil seal 94 disposed exteriorly thereof. 'A closure flange 96 isprovided against the outer surface of the oil seal 94 and is detachablyconnected to the section 14 by fastening screws 98 thus forming a keeperand assisting in the operation of the oil seal 94 and preventing leakageof excessive oil into the compressor. The hollow shaft 88 is providedwith an elongated longitudinal bore 100 extending inwardly from theinner end thereof. Each of the disks 72 of the second and third stagesof the turbine are provided with a central hub 102 secured to a centralpower shaft 104 which has a reduced longitudinally extending portion 106received within the bore 100 and journaled therein by ball bearings 108with an oil seal 110 being providing for assuring lubrication of thebearings 108. The shaft 104 is provided with a peripheral flange 112forming an abutment for the inner ends of the hubs 102 and beingprovided with a longitudinally extending sealing flange 114 engaging ina groove in the end of the hollow shaft 88 thus adding an additionalseal for the bearings 108 to prevent escape of lubrication and toprevent entry of gases into the bearings. The other end of the shaft 104is provided skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the inventionto the exact construction and operation shown and dewith a threadedportion 116 having a clamp nut 118 thereon for rigidly securing the hubs102 onto the shaft 104. A lubrication seal 120 is disposed immediatelyoutwardly of the screw threaded portion 116 and ball bearings 122support this portion of the shaft 104 and the section 22 of the casing12. A lubrication seal 124 is disposed at the outer end of a flange 126disposed in the longitudinal bore 28 thus providing an oil chamber forreceiving oil from a radial passageway 128 communicated with an oilsupply line 130 whereby oil may be supplied within the chamber betweenthe lubrication seal 124 and the ball bearings 122 as well as thelubrication seal 120. The shaft 104 is provided with a longitudinalpassageway 132 having a radial portion 134 communicating with the oilreservoir together with a discharge radially extending opening 134 forlubricating thespaced ball bearings 108 which are retained in spacedrelation by a spacer sleeve 136. The reduced portion of the shaft 88 isprovided with a passageway 138 terminating in an angularly extendingportion 140 for communicating the oil passageway with the lubricationseal 94. It is noted that the inner end of the reduced portion 106 isspaced from the inner end of the bore 100 but the lubrication will stillgo into the bore or passageway 138 due to the construction of the ballbearings 108 which form a partial seal and also the lubrication seal110. The outer free end of the shaft 104 is provided with a taperedportion 142 terminating in a screw threaded hub or attaching member 144for engagement with any power source for driving the same whereby thedevice will act as a power unit.

From the foregoing description, it will readily be apparent that theinitial stage of the turbine is employed scribed, and accordingly, allsuitable modifications and changes will be resorted to, falling withinthe scope of the invention as claimed.

. What is claimed as new is as follows:

'1. A multi-stage turbine comprising a plurality of aligned annularchambers with the inner peripheries thereof defining a longitudinalpassage, a power shaft rotatably supported within the longitudinalpassage, a plurality of disc rotors mounted on said power shaft with theinner periphery of each annular chamber having a slot receiving theperiphery of a disc rotor, and a plurality of circumferentially spacedvanes rigidly mounted on the periphery of each rotor and having across-sectional area only slightly less than the cross-sectional area ofthe interior of the annular chamber, each annular chamber having anintake communicated therewith and a discharge spaced circumferentiallyfrom the intake, the intake of the first annular chamber receivingcombustion products from a source of supply, the intake of succeedingannular chamhere being communicated with the discharge from theimmediately preceding annular chamber, the discharge of the last annularchamber being communicated with the atmosphere, each of said vaneshaving a passage extending therethrough with the crosssectional area ofthe passage being less than the cross-sectional area of the annularchamber for permitting passage of a portion of the combustion productsthrough the vane into contact with the adjacent vane on the same disclocated nearer to the discharge.

2. The turbine as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said vane isgenerally funnel-shaped in configuration having the smaller end thereofforming the passage and having the larger end facing the intake when thevane is disposed between the intake and discharge for receivingcombustion products from the intake or a succeeding vane, thelongitudinal axis of the funnel-shaped vane being disposed generally inacute angular relation to a radius of the rotor intersecting theoutermost forward edge of the vane with the acute angle being disposedon the side of such a radius in the direction of rotation.

